Sports Jam-e Jam-e reports that the only people welcoming the team were Football Federation officials, families of the athletes, a number of media representatives and fans. The Ministry of Sports and Youth was absent, the report adds.

The Iranian women's futsal team beat Japan in the finals on Saturday September 26 in Malaysia at the 2015 Asian Championships, marking the first such victory in a ball sport.

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Team captain Nilofar Ardalan, who could not join the team in Malaysia because her husband refused to give her permission to leave the country, was at the airport to welcome her teammates. Ardalan's husband said she had to stay home for her son, who was just beginning school.

Female Iranian athletes face many problems in their careers, ranging from restrictive outfits to discriminatory laws against women and a lack of government support.